Weekly roundup of world briefs

In a first, Israeli government to pay Orthodox women to advise on Jewish law

By Ron Kampeas

(JTA) — In a first, Israel will pay 21 women to be advisers on Jewish law in the Orthodox community, a concept that has spread in the United States but that Israel’s Orthodox establishment has resisted.

Matan Kahana, the deputy religious services minister, said in a release Thursday he will hire the women for “communities across Israel” this year.

Women advisers on halacha, or Jewish law, have flourished in recent years in the United States, where there has been a demand among women for counseling on is...